1 08 ST. PAUL'S, ITS BONDS, NEWSPAPERS, AND MARKETS. 



crops for the two last years have been threatened, and par- 

 tially injured, by a plague of grasshoppers. 



A bridge is in course of construction to connect the two 

 banks of the river, on both of which the city is being built, the 

 one to be called East, and the other West St. Paul's. The 

 houses are solidly built of limestone, the material for the walls 

 and mortar being found in excavating the foundation. All 

 kinds of public improvement are rapidly carried into execution, 

 city bonds being issued to defray the cost. These bonds can 

 be purchased to yield 12 or 15 per cent., and may prove a good 

 security if population continues to flock to Minnesota. Banks, 

 land agency offices, and newspapers, are already numerous in 

 the city. The newspapers are dailies, and in walking out early 

 on the Sunday morning, before many people were stirring, I was 

 surprised to observe the morning papers already laid on the han- 

 dle of every door, or shoved in below it, ready for the owner's 

 perusal as soon as he should make his appearance. 



The market-place on Saturday was thronged with people 

 buying and selling their various produce. The Irish had sacks 

 of potatoes and other vegetables, the Americans dealt in beef; 

 but the most remarkable looking merchants there were the Ked 

 Indians, who were selling wild ducks. They were in consid- 

 erable numbers, both men and women, in their native costume, 

 the men generally carrying good double-barrelled guns. There 

 are still several Indian tribes at no great distance from St. 

 Paul's, who live entirely by the produce of their guns. 



I was introduced here to a State senator who, with basket 

 on his arm, was making his morning's market. I was after- 

 wards indebted to this gentleman for a presentation to the gov- 

 ernor, whilst he was reviewing a corps of volunteers at the State- 

 house. They were very soldierly-like men, their uniform more 

 like the French than English, and they seemed to go through 

 their evolutions very creditably. They had a brass gun, and 



